Everyone was especially happy to be back to school at Dodworth St John the Baptist primary this week - because the first day of term very nearly didn't happen.

The school was hit by a devastating flood at the start of the summer holidays -  leaving rooms under several inches of water, classwork ruined, furniture destroyed and the short term future uncertain - after heavy rain caused a local beck to overflow.

Headteacher Ian Goddard sent out a desperate text message that fateful Sunday morning- it simply said 'help'.

Within one hour more than 50 parents had turned up at the school armed with mops and buckets, children came along to help in any way they could and a local company offered the use of its equipment.

Since then the work has been relentless but when the new academic year started on Wednesday St John the Baptist Primary was ready for a new year and a new start.

Mr Goddard says without the hard work of staff, parents and the wider community he doesn't know how the school would have got properly cleared, dried out and ready.

"It made us all believe that no matter how much work needed to be done we would all together get through it and the school would be  ready for the new academic year," he said.

"I cannot thank everyone involved enough - they have been truly phenomenal."